Joeys 30 View 27 [Half time 20-15]
It was a great game and you couldn't pick the winner until the final bell. The lead changed 7 times and that's not counting twice when it became tied. Joeys scored 5 tries to 4 but that didn't signify a lot. I felt empathy for the View lads as neither team deserved to lose that game. With 6 boys back next year (plus another 7 from the Twos) View should have a top team in 2011 and they will be looking for revenge.
A lot of the tries were scored from turnover ball and a couple were punishments of bad kicks. The teams were a mirror image of each other: blue heeler, hard tackling forwards and backs willing to get the ball out wide. Joeys found themselves defending with 2 against 4 in the backline too many times, as they did against Kings, but they scrambled well most of the time and snuffed them out.
There were some well constructed back moves from both teams but they often wanted a better thrown pass to complete a move. Ironically the long passing game of the teams was better than the short passing. A few times I had to blink as 10. Dillon Walford launched wide attacks from long balls on the money as though from Bernie Larkham. He also dodged and weaved for breaks, but often carrying the ball like a bunch of flowers and dropping it – or getting isolated. That's Dill: what you see is what you get.
His mate from Walgett, 12. Ashby, had another top game and it's a pity that he didn't have his current form earlier in the season as he looks like a rep player now. He ran through gaps that weren't really there and tackled like a demon. A third indigenous lad, 14. Buchanan, had a fine game as did 11. Hulme and 15 Le Lievre.
For View 9. Donlan played well and gave a nice bridge pass for the 1st View try, but I felt that he should have sniped a bit more to mix up the attack. 11. Whiteley also look dangerous and hooker Weeks was a goer. But the best visitor to Hunters Hill was 13. Barry, who ripped holes in the Joeys backline and had he had more sympathetic support a couple of times View would have won.
With Kings going down today again, Joeys will be playing for equal leadership next week against unbeaten Newington at Stanmore. They could do it too as they have improved a lot. This is not the same Joeys team who went down to Scots in Rd.1, because their last two games have been tough and it's brought the best out of them. Then in the final round they play Shore.
Other results (all for Joeys wins):
15A 13-0
16A 21-10
4ths 22-12
3rds 22-7
2nds 15-5
There was a lot of good rugby from both sides in the last 3 listed games.
PS – Somebody at the ground who sounded like he knew what he was talking about said there will be two rounds in the GPS next year. I'd like to see that.
PPS – The View old boys disgraced themselves in 2009, and in 2010 they had the police running over to their area behind the southern goal posts. I know they weren't Joeys Old boys because they cheered when the View goal kicker got the last conversion over late in the game and View went ahead 27-25.
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